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Message |
    
R. B. Bailey (Rover50987)
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 04:37 pm: | 
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I would like to get a Hi-lift jack to supplement my off-road tool box. I understand how to use them for pulling, pushing, etc. But how do I safely use the jack on a stock Disco when I need to lift a wheel off the ground to change it? In other words, is the jack pretty much useless unless I have the jack points on an ARB bumper or aftermarket slider? Where are the safe jack points for the Disco without those things?
http://landrover.mrbaileyshistory.net |
Pugsly (Pugsly)
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 04:42 pm: |
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You don't use the hi-lift, you use the bottle jack that came with the Disco.
A Hi-Lift is going to be lifting the frame, but you want to lift the axle - use the bottle jack, much easier and enormously safer. |
Mark Devereux (Groupw)
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 05:17 pm: |
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You can lift the rear using the receiver hitch as a jack point, but that's about it. On the bright side, having the jack gives you another good reason to buy good front/rear bumpers and sliders. All have excellent jack points. |
R. B. Bailey (Rover50987)
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 05:44 pm: |
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Ya, see that is what I am thinking too, if I buy the $60 jack, then I have to buy the $600 bumpers.
But what if the off-road conditions don't allow me to get the bottle jack under the axle? Any options? |
AndyThoma
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 06:41 pm: |
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You could try carry a piece of wood for a base of your bottle jack. I bought on of those bases that is for spreading the load out on a hi-lift. I use that to create a base for my bottle jack. Unfortunity the Hi lift is not to good for lifting anything on a stock disco. You risk damaging the stock bumpers or rocker sills. As for using the receiver hitch, well that would scare the shit out of me. The higher you go the more of a chance you have to blow out of it. I have a arb bull bar on the front on my d1. I use a hi lift with the adapter that arb makes for hilift/jack alls. If you need to remove a wheel off road, always find a way to use the bottle jack. A hi-lift is still good to have as a recovery tool even if you don't have aftermarket bumpers. Just have good recovery points. Plus mount it on your roof rack and you look hard core. Check out EE's site for good write ups on jacks, also look in to the jack mate. That is a nice piece to aid in recovery, but could also be used for a rescue. I hope I never have to do that, but it makes feel better that I could if need be. Problem with hi -lifts is they need to be in perfect conditions (flat hard ground, with a level truck) to be safe for lifting a disco. Maybe I'm a wussy, but I don't like the idea of a truck fall off a jack on me. I don't have sliders yet, and I have a stock "smiling" rear bumper.
Andy 95 d1 |
AndyThoma
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 06:46 pm: |
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Wonder if anyone makes a hi-lift adapter that would lock on to the jack like the arb adapter and fits into the receiver hitch and uses hitch pin to secure it? If anyone makes it or wants to invent one, I'll buy it.
Also, maybe I don't know the technique to lift a disco using the hitch. Is there a safe way to do it?
I did find a good use for my hi-lift. I jacked my hot tub up while it was full to rewire the air pump... Worked like a charm for that recovery.
Andy |
Carter Simcoe (Carter)
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 07:01 pm: |
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Baily,
Like Andy said don't use the highlift to change a tire, carry a board so that you can use the bottle jack.
Andy,
I just stick the jack in the trailer hitch and go. I don't worry about it being "locked down" or anything since when I am doing this I am generally trying to get out of muddy ruts by jacking the truck up so the wheels clear then and then pushing the jack over so the truck falls to one side of the ruts.
****It's been said before and should be said again: be careful w/ these things guys, they are great tools but are also dangerous. Make sure you are always out of the path of the handle and always make sure the handle is in the full upright position anytime your hands aren't on it. |
AndyThoma
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 07:16 pm: |
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Well I have done the jack and run technique to get out of ruts. But it still scares the shit out of me. I prefer a better way,... I know get a winch, thats coming this summer, for now its a hi -lift and lots of praying to the rover gods.
Andy |
Carter Simcoe (Carter)
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 07:42 pm: |
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yeah, it's scary but it works damn good. I have a winch and still find myself doing it quite a bit when there isn't a good tree to use. |
Greg French (Gregfrench)
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 07:55 pm: |
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About a month ago, I was in a pretty bad place...all 4 wheels off the ground and diffs buried in hard mud. I was going too fast on a mud/clay trail in fell into the ruts. No traction. It was so bad that I could rotate all of my tires by hand.
I stuck my hi-lift in my hitch hole and jacked it as high as I could, then had my friend pull me backwards off the jack.
Worked like a champ! It did dent my hitch a bit, but it is cosmetic.
BTW...I was on my way home from work, so I was all in nice clothes and a tie and everything.
Hi-lift...don't leave home without it! |
Eric Ratermann (Ericrat)
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 08:33 pm: |
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"Can't get bottle jack under truck"
Shovel |
cartner
| | Posted on Wednesday, February 05, 2003 - 11:15 pm: |
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you can lift the rear up with the hi lift, if you have a 3/4 shackle in the reciever hitch, pull it upward, insert jack tongue in it, and jack away, I wouldn't go ALL the way up, but it does hold it steady with no side to side, i'm lifed mine out of a SERIOUS mud hole with a base plate twice (same hole) and never pushed over that way, its fairly stable, though I would NOT get under it...be careful, but it works. |
ryanspeed
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2003 - 01:02 am: |
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Also, if you have decent rocksliders, you can jack the entire side of the vehicle. Just make sure to chock the wheels on the opposite side. |
Chris von Czoernig (Chrisvonc)
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2003 - 07:46 am: |
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My HiLift was my No.1 tool for fixing my Stage III lift whenever it broke. |
Paul T. Schram (Paulschram)
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2003 - 08:08 am: |
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Guys I have used hi-lifts in many different circumstances save vehicle recovery. I don't care how carefully you may have it chained down, it scares me shitless!
Last night, I brought a tremendously heavy surface grinder home in my trailer and had to disconnect it before going to a birthday dinner for the kid. He had no idea why I was so crazy while the trailer tongue was swaying in the air! Hi-lifts are notorious for being unstable and this instability increases dramatically as you increase the lifted height.
Long story short, the hi-lift is a lifting tool of last resort and all other avenues should be investigated before using the hi-lift. Yeah, I know, I probably could have used something else last night, but the hitch was very high and I doubt my floor jack would have been much help.
The good side of this story-the truck pulled it home well and the surface grinder didn't fall over on the way home!
Peace,
Paul |
Grant Lawson (Grant)
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2003 - 10:33 am: |
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I am not sure if it is hilift or jackall, but they make lots of accesories ot modify the lifting ability. |
AndyThoma
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2003 - 11:58 am: |
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Wow, I feel stupid now Cartner. I actually remove my receiver shackle and then insert the hi lift. I never thought of doing that, good idea.
The problem is the extras hi lift sells, like the bumper adaptermade by hi lift, still wouldn't work with stock bumpers without damaging them. I agree a hi lift is a don't wheel without it tool. But as for repair lifting, even on a trail, do what ever it takes to use the bottle jack. If that means digging or making a base out of wood or rocks, you just have to do it. I actually use the hi lift as a back up to the bottle jack on the trail. Kind of like keeping the jack under the truck even if your using jack stands. I put it under the bumper by the side that is lifted to catch the truck should the bottle jack fail. I maybe anal retentive but I had a uncle crushed to death by a vw bug that fell off a jack. The worst part was he died after being traped under the car for 5 hours alone. So I tend to be overly cautious when lifting a vehicle.
Andy |
R. B. Bailey (Rover50987)
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2003 - 02:50 pm: |
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This is exactly why I am asking, for the life of me I could not figure out some way to do it safely on a stock Disco. I suppose lifting with a chain on the rear hitch would be the only "safe" way to do it.
But then again, I know the pulling power of a come-along or a hi-lift - I've strung many wire fences - so I would use the hi-lift for recovery.
So it probably is worth getting one.
Besides, It would look really cool on the back of the old Series, or on the roof rack of the Disco.
http://landrover.mrbaileyshistory.net |
the Big Daddy
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2003 - 03:33 pm: |
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If you've never or have limited experince with a Hi-Lift I strongly suggest you seek out someone with experince and common sense to show what its capableties are . Hi-lift and similar type jacks will not only get your truck unstuck ,they are capable of smashing hands , crushing fingers , skulls , ribcages ....
I've said it before and I'll say it again to anyone who will listen , Hi-lifts are a necessary evil . They'll kick the shit out of you quicker than a pissed off bouncer at closing time . Even when you think you're using it correctly !
Evan |
Kim S (Roverine)
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2003 - 07:55 pm: |
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I have two hi-lifts (I won one of them) and I'm *skeered* to use either one, LOL
Kim
you have to understand, the only time I've ever needed multiple stitches (from an accident that is) was once making sun tea, and second time trying to arrange flowers in a vase  |
Max Thomason (Lrmax)
| | Posted on Thursday, February 06, 2003 - 09:45 pm: |
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LOL Kim, if you have had little luck with tea and flowers well then a Hi-lift will really wack the crap outta ya....
R.B.
What do you want to do with your disco? If you want to keep the factory bumper and such, you can order jacking and recovery points that fit to the chassis yet still retain the stock bumper.
On thing that I noticed is that many aftermarket bumpers and rock sliders have a simple hole to use as a jacking point. a Jackall will only work with these.
On the ARB bumper, you can get an adapter to literally bolt your Hi-Lift jack to the bumper. It attaches at the recovery points and is very sturdy. I have one and would suggest it to anyone who owns an ARB bar and a hi-lift.
Personally, I have never used my Hi-Lift in an off road situation. Because of this I normally don't carry it. It seems like the handle that came with the bloody thing is more useful than the jack.....
If you do the solo wheelin' a lot, then any help from any piece of equipment will be welcomed is something goes wrong.
FWIW...
Max T. |
Tom Rowe
| | Posted on Friday, February 07, 2003 - 10:09 am: |
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I have been using highlift jacks since '74, and this is what I've found.
You might not think it, but a highlift, in my experience, is most dangerous when *lowering* a heavy load. That's when the handle can fly up with INCREDIBLE force. I've had it happen. Conciously, I always keep my head well away from the work area, otherwise I wouldn't be here to type this I'm sure. It's the kind of thing that you say "Huh" about when it happens, but gives you cold sweats later when you think what could have been.
ALWAYS keep a firm grip on the handle, and make sure on the downstroke the pins have done their thing and it has gone down a notch. NEVER remove your hand from the handle until it is in the full upright position.
Year before last a fellow LR owner had to be airlifted from a trail in Canada (I think it was) because of a hi-lift accident. He survived, but lost an eye.
As with all recovery, do NOT rush things. Think about what you are doing.
Cheers |
Joe M. (Little_Joe)
| | Posted on Friday, February 07, 2003 - 12:04 pm: |
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I completely agree on the cautions noted. I also consider the hi-lift the tool of last resort.
I would also strongly suggest practicing with it in the driveway to get a feel for it - for the (lack of) stability, lowering, winching off a tree, etc. You'll be much better prepared offroad.
joe |
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